Milan

The Romans were first to see the potential of the Italian lakes as a holiday destination. They built their sumptuous villas in some of the prime positions around Como and Garda, where the southern foothills of the Alps sweep down towards the Mediterranean and the fertile plains o...

The legendary Amalfi Coast has been seducing visitors since ancient times with its magnificent scenery and sophisticated yet laid-back lifestyle that was ‘discovered’ by the jet-set in the 1960s. Until the Strada Statale 163 was blasted out of the base of the Lattari mountains in...

Wnith Puglia's ancient sites and unfussy charms, Italy’s most secluded coast makes a rewarding alternative to the tourist-laden north. To look at its olive trees, whitewashed, hilltop towns, scorched earth and unforgiving heat, one might deem the region to be closer in look and

Balmy, maritime Liguria is generally best known for the Cinque Terre, the string of five historic and colourful villages spaced along the region's spectacular cliff-edged coast. Thereare also lesser known quaint coastal towns such as Portovenere and Sestri Levante, and of course there’s Portofino...

Rome has been around for almost three thosuand years and yet carries all that weight of history with a dolce vita  lightness of heart. It’s a city that combines the intimacy and human scale of a village with the cultural draws of a historic, art-laden European metropolis. Classical ruins...

There are days when visitors to this exquisite jewel box of a city outnumber locals two-to-one, and when getting from the station to St Mark's square is a battle. But despite this, Venice never loses its capacity to enchant: stepping out of the station to be greeted by a glitteri...

Sicily has long been a crossroads and crucible of Mediterranean culture, and the island today is a fascinating palimpsest in which Greek temples, Norman churches and Baroque palazzos emerge from the rich fabric. But it also has natural wonders aplenty, from the smoking craters of Mount Etna to th...

In so many other parts of the world, culture is an optional extra, something you do in your spare time. In Tuscany, it’s at the root of everything – though not in an elitist way. A Piero della Francesca fresco exudes the spirit of a region that has long spent its...

A few years ago, Umbria was known, if at all, as Tuscany’s less alluring sister. Not any more: these days Italy’s 'green heart' is every bit as celebrated as its more famous neighbour. The reasons are simple: the region has all Tuscany’s attributes – and a few more. True, it does...

With its pretty towns and villages and endless glorious views, a visit to the costiera needs to be taken slowly, even if you want to fit in some culture, schedule visits to churches, museums and gardens around lazy lunches, dips in the shimmering sea, sunset aperitivi or...